Conor McGregor gave himself the moniker “Mystic Mac” because he makes way-out predictions that sometimes come true in the ring. He said he’d knock out UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the first round, which was wild because Aldo was considered one of the best pound-for-pound mixed-martial-artists ever.

Aldo, who had not lost in 10 years, was gone in 13 seconds, taken out just the way McGregor said, slipping Aldo’s right cross and knocking him out with a left in December 2015 at UFC 194.

“I’m telling them what I’m going to do to them and how I’m going to do it and then I go on and do it,” McGregor said. “And then the train just kind of rolls with it and it picks up steam as the predictions keep coming true. I don’t know how many times I’ve shocked the world right now and I’m going to shock it again on Aug. 26.”

That would be Saturday, when McGregor takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. – an all-time great boxer – in a junior middleweight boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Showtime pay-per-view).

It’s not MMA

It’s true that McGregor, 29, started boxing at age 12 in his native Ireland. But as a teenager his focus turned to MMA, and he eventually made his pro debut in the sport at 19.

Still, it bugs him that those in boxing circles are giving him no chance against Mayweather.

“The disrespect and the disregard for my skill-set is disappointing,” McGregor said. “I look at people so many times and their mind is closed. They’ve got a closed mind to how things can be done. It’s a set way, and there’s no other way. Where if that was the case – we’d never have reached across the waters and searched for other lands.

“We’d never have went into space. Do you know what I mean? You’ve got to have an open mind and you’ve got to realize that there are other ways and there is a time and a place for every single moment.”

When McGregor speaks, it seems there is a certain mystique to “Mystic Man.” Even so, it’s hard to imagine his prediction for this fight coming to fruition. Mayweather might be 40, but he is one of the greatest defensive fighters ever.

“I believe now (that) the gloves are eight ounces, I don’t believe he makes it out of the second round,” McGregor said. “I have multiple first-round KOs and I have multiple under one-minute KOs on my record.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission this week granted the request of both fighters to use eight-ounce instead of 10-ounce gloves. At junior middleweight and above, 10-ounce gloves are typically used. Eight-ounce gloves are used for welterweight and below.

UFC’s White believes

UFC president Dana White supports the “Mystic Mac” phenomena.

“I am a believer in ‘Mystic Mac’ for sure,” he said. “This kid has done everything he said he would do. And he is claiming that he will knock out Floyd Mayweather within four rounds and I think he broke it down to two now.”

Others believe this fight is nothing more than a farce, a money-grab. Promoter Oscar De La Hoya not long ago delivered a Facebook message encouraging fans to boycott the fight, which will cost $99.99 for the high-definition feed. This excerpt tells his feelings:

“Floyd’s and Conor’s motivation is clear,” De La Hoya wrote. “It’s money. In fact, they don’t even pretend it’s not. But it’s also a lack of consequences for when the fight ends up being the disaster that is predicted. After this fight, neither of them will need us anymore. Floyd will go back to retirement, presumably for good this time with another nine-figure paycheck, and Conor will go back to the UFC.

“It’s a win-win for them. It’s a lose-lose for us. We’ll be $100 lighter and we will have squandered another opportunity to bring boxing back to its rightful place as the sport of kings.”

Some look at this open letter as a way for De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions to get more pay-per-view buys for the Sept. 16 middleweight title fight between his Canelo Alvarez and champion Gennady Golovkin. But Abel Sanchez, who trains Golovkin, believes McGregor will have difficulty landing a telling punch because Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) won’t let him.

“I think that Floyd is so obsessed with his legacy and so obsessed with what you think about him, that he won’t allow Conor to shine at all, not that he was going to anyway,” Sanchez, of West Covina, said Wednesday.

Quigley aligns with McGregor

Boxer Jason Quigley, ranked No. 11 at middleweight, is McGregor’s countryman. Speaking by telephone Thursday from Ireland, Quigley gave his own bold statement about the outcome.

“Mayweather is one of the best fighters ever, and he dominated the game and everything like that,” Quigley said. “At the end of the day, he’s 40 years of age, he’s coming to the end of his career, he hasn’t boxed in two years.

“I know he keeps himself in shape. But Floyd Mayweather’s best assets have always been his defense, his reactions, his speed. But when you come to 40 years of age and you’re in against a (29-year-old) hungry Irishman, those attributes aren’t there to the best of their ability like they used to be, and I think Conor is going to exploit them.”

To what degree?

“I think Conor’s going to knock Floyd Mayweather out,” Quigley said.

Conor Jr. props up dad

As if McGregor needs more motivation to shut up the naysayers, he has his 3-month-old son Conor to provide it. It’s like McGregor believes the little guy is bringing his own brand of mysticism to this fray.

“We were comparing pictures side-by-side from when I was that age and we’re like identical,” McGregor said. “I’m like, ‘Yes,’ because he’s going to look exactly like me. He has my name, it’s a legacy, so I’m just in awe of my little man. As far as how it’s made me as a fighter, it’s certainly made me more focused, more disciplined.

“I must be disciplined. I can’t slack off. I can’t float around and do what I used to do. I must train, recover, go home, look after my boy, rest, train again.”

Mayweather calls McGregor “a warrior.” He has been that … in the UFC. Can “Mystic Mac” be that in boxing? We’ll find out Saturday.

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